Community College Week articles from August 2003

Community College Week archives from August 2003

ERIC's community-college clearinghouse to disappear Jan. 1. (around the nation).
August 4, 2003... WASHINGTON -- Despite receiving thousands of letters and e-mail messages in support of the Educational Resources Information Center clearinghouses on community colleges and 15 other subjects, the U.S. Department of Education has changed little...

In wake of drug conviction, former Iowa president offers job help. (around the nation).
August 4, 2003... DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- The former president of Des Moines Area Community College is offering help to those seeking the job from which he resigned after a drug raid at his home in Johnston last April. David England sent an e-mail message...

Former trustee gets 12 years for bribery, money laundering.(Brief Article)
August 4, 2003... SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- A former community-college district trustee has been sentenced to 12 years in prison in the first of several public corruption cases. Jesse Gonzales received the penalty recently when jurors opted to hand down the...

Calif. instructor draws fire for 'kill the president' assignment.(Brief Article)
August 4, 2003... SANTA ROSA, Calif. (AP) -- A Santa Rosa Junior College instructor's "kill the president" class assignment left the school's president "ashamed and embarrassed." Without naming him, President Robert Agrella said that part-time political...

Colleges lobby Congress for Pell-Grant hike. (dateline Washington).
August 4, 2003... Community colleges took their case for a revamped Pell Grant directly to the U.S. Congress last month, urging lawmakers to improve both the funding and focus of the aid program to better serve needy students. Low-income students attending...

House votes against Bush proposal to slash Perkins.(Carl D. Perkins Act)(Brief Article)
August 4, 2003... The U.S. House of Representatives has approved a plan protecting the Carl D. Perkins Act from cuts proposed for next year. Lawmakers endorsed a previously developed legislative plan that rejects a 20 percent cut in Perkins. the government's...

Global education starts at home. Mine. (point of view).
August 4, 2003... My son is a cultural illiterate. While such learned behavior doesn't define him as a person, it has a certain limiting impact on his participation in meaningful education. If education is destiny, his destiny has borders. For the sake of...

Global unknowingness. (point of view).
August 4, 2003... I've just come back from taking a group of my students to New York. They had a great time, but even in one of the world's most visually stunning cities, everything looked to most of them pretty much the same as it does at home. So there it was,...

Give students a chance. (point of view).
August 4, 2003... Dear Editor, In his recent article "Rethinking Retention" (June 9), Professor Robert Mahon wrestles with a straw man and anchors his argument partly in ad hominem fallacies. There are, beyond doubt, instances where college faculty or...

All the world's a classroom: not many Fulbright scholars come from community colleges, international-education officials say, but that's all the more reason why they should. (International Education).
August 4, 2003... DISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan -- On a warm day last year, Dr. Joseph Walwik proudly showed a visitor around the new American Studies Center at Kyrgyz National University. Pictures of Geronimo, Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King Jr. hung in the...

Panel says student-visa reforms hinder higher-ed., foreign policy.
August 4, 2003... WASHINGTON -- The U.S. government's overhaul of the student-visa system since Sept. 11 is increasingly preventing foreign students from taking college classes in America, according to a panel of higher-education and foreign-policy officials who...

From last resort to first priority: Spain tries to remake perception of its technical colleges.
August 4, 2003... BARCELONA, Spain -- Of the 15 member countries in the European Union, Spain currently has the highest unemployment rate, at 11.3 percent, according to a May report from Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities. As in the...

Chancellor of Arizona colleges fired.(Brief Article)
August 4, 2003... PHOENIX (AP) -- The Maricopa Community Colleges board has fired Chancellor Fred Gaskin, saying it had just cause to terminate Gaskin's contract. The board had informed Gaskin on June 30 that it intended to fire him from his $235,000 job....

Accreditor puts Kentucky college on probation.(Brief Article)
August 4, 2003... LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) -- Lexington Community College has been placed on probation for a year by a Georgia-based accreditation organization because of questions about the college's autonomy and its close relationship with the University of...

Wis. instructor accused of lying about credentials.(Brief Article)
August 4, 2003... MILWAUKEE (AP) -- A college drug-addiction counselor and faculty member faces a perjury charge for allegedly lying about his own credentials. William Olcott, 56, serves as chairman of the addiction-studies department at Fox Valley...

Charges against Iraqi instructor dropped. (faculty lounge).
August 4, 2003... ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Iraqi immigrant Khalid Amen lost his job as a part-time math teacher at St. Louis Community College at Forest Park following his arrest in a highly publicized government sting. Now, a month after the charges were dismissed,...

"Anatomy and Physiology" (5th Edition) and "Anthony's Textbook of Anatomy and Physiology" (17th Edition). (Profs In Print).(Brief Article)
August 4, 2003... The two textbooks have been co-authored by science Professor Kevin Patton of St. Charles Community in St. Peters, Mo., with Dr. Gary Thipodeau, chancellor emeritus of University of Wisconsin-River Falls. The revised editions feature several...

"On Shankara". "(Profs In Print).(Brief Article)
August 4, 2003... Dr. George Cronk, coordinator of philosophy and religion at Bergen Community College in Paramus, N.J., delves into the life and work of one of the prominent figures in the history of classical Indian philosophy. Shankara was a leading...

Laura Helminski, the faculty chair for communication and reading at Rio Salado College in Tempe, Ariz., has won the William H. Meardy Award. (Honors & Awards).(Brief Article)
August 4, 2003... Laura Helminski, the faculty chair for communication and reading at Rio Salado College in Tempe, Ariz., has won the William H. Meardy Award from the Association of Community College Trustees for the Pacific/Western/Central Region.

Adrian Evans, an instructor in the division of humanities at Bishop State Community College in Mobile, Ala. (Honors & Awards).(Brief Article)
August 4, 2003... Adrian Evans, an instructor in the division of humanities at Bishop State Community College in Mobile, Ala., is the recipient of the college's 2003 President's Award.

Dr. Paula Clarke, an instructor of anthropology and sociology, and fire-technology professor George Melendrez, both of Columbia College in Sonora, Calif. (Honors & Awards).(Brief Article)
August 4, 2003... Dr. Paula Clarke, an instructor of anthropology and sociology, and fire-technology professor George Melendrez, both of Columbia College in Sonora, Calif., have been included in the latest edition of Who's Who Among America's Teachers.

Anita Philipp, professor of computer science at Oklahoma City Community College. (Honors & Awards).(Brief Article)
August 4, 2003... Anita Philipp, professor of computer science at Oklahoma City Community College, was recently recognized for an online course she created. "Web Site Development" was named a 2003 WebCT Exemplary Course by the American Council on International...

Dina Wilson, a nursing professor at Johnson County Community College in Overland Park. Kan., has been awarded a Fulbright grant (Honors & Awards).(Brief Article)
August 4, 2003... Dina Wilson, a nursing professor at Johnson County Community College in Overland Park. Kan., has been awarded a Fulbright grant to teach nursing for the fall semester at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, England. Community College...

Dislocated workers in Maine flocking to community colleges. (around campus).
August 4, 2003... PORTLAND, Maine -- Maine's seven community colleges have seen increased enrollment among dislocated workers preparing for new careers. Dislocated workers account for more than 760 students, double the usual number in past years. Dislocated...

Rising enrollments put Nebraska college in housing squeeze. (around campus).(Brief Article)
August 4, 2003... SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb, (AP) -- Increasing enrollment at Western Nebraska Community College is causing a squeeze at already-tight student housing quarters. "I have no room for students right now," said Dr. Tim Alvarez, a college dean. "For the...

Rose State College in Midwest City, Okla., has received a $15,000 grant from the McGee Foundation of Oklahoma City. (Grants & Gifts).(Brief Article)
August 4, 2003... Rose State College in Midwest City, Okla., has received a $15,000 grant from the McGee Foundation of Oklahoma City. The grant will be used to transcribe, finalize and digitize oral histories for the Eastern Oklahoma County Regional History...

Arizona's Chandler-Gilbert Community College, along with Estrella Mountain, Glendale and Mesa community colleges were recently awarded a $400,000 grant from the National Science Foundation. (Grants & Gifts).(Brief Article)
August 4, 2003... Arizona's Chandler-Gilbert Community College, along with Estrella Mountain, Glendale and Mesa community colleges were recently awarded a $400,000 grant from the National Science Foundation for a program entitled "Maricopa Engineering Transition...

Professor Teresita Lopez of Camden County College in Blackwood, N.J., is conducting the study (Grants & Gifts).(Brief Article)
August 4, 2003... Professor Teresita Lopez of Camden County College in Blackwood, N.J., is conducting the study "Identifying The Need For An Exemplary Two-Year College Spanish Language Course As Preparation For Employment In The 21st Century Global Workplace."...

Caldwell Community College in Lenoir, N.C. has received $1 million dollars from the Broyhill Family Foundation. (Grants & Gifts).(Brief Article)
August 4, 2003... Caldwell Community College in Lenoir, N.C., has received $1 million dollars from the Broyhill Family Foundation to provide new learning opportunities and for helping to make the Appalachian State University Center.

Montgomery County Community College in Blue Bell, Pa., has been awarded a project grant in the amount of $13,500 from Dance Advance. (Grants & Gifts).(Brief Article)
August 4, 2003... Montgomery County Community College in Blue Bell, Pa., has been awarded a project grant in the amount of $13,500 from Dance Advance to fund the Nai Ni Chen Dance Company as part of the 2003-2004 Lively Arts Series "Close to Home... Close to...

Bunker Hill Community College in Boston has been awarded a $50,000 grant from The Boston Foundation. (Grants & Gifts).(Brief Article)
August 4, 2003... Bunker Hill Community College in Boston has been awarded a $50,000 grant from The Boston Foundation to pilot the Creating of an Oracle Continuum project with the Boston Area Technology Education Connections. The National Science Foundation also...

Think before you print. (technology today).
August 4, 2003... As a general rule, consumers seek bargains and businesses seek profits. With computer printers, the heftiest profit margins come not from the sale of the ink-jet or laser printers themselves, but from the cartridges needed when the...

Broward Community College. (Appointments).(Brief Article)
August 4, 2003... Dr. Edward M. Henn has been named vice president for financial and human resources at Broward Community College in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. He has served the college as auditorium manager, faculty member, department head and dean since 1985. Henn...

Cy-Fair College. (Appointments).(Brief Article)
August 4, 2003... Cy-Fair College in Cypress, Texas, recently announced the appointment of four deans to its instructional and student services programs. "It gives me great pleasure to appoint Anne Albarelli, Diana Pino, Feleccia Moore-Davis and Cynthia B....

Foothill-De Anza Community College District. (Appointments).(Brief Article)
August 4, 2003... Mike Brandy, acting vice chancellor of business services for the Foothill-De Anza Community College District in Los Altos Hills, Calif., has been named to the permanent position following an extensive search and selection process. He had served...

Seminole Community College. (Appointments).(Brief Article)
August 4, 2003... Dr. Annye Refoe, an English professor since 1982 at Seminole Community College in Sanford, Fla., took a new post as Seminole's dean of arts and sciences, following the retirement of Dr. Richard Loper. Refoe has also served as the director of...

Deaths.(educator Donald G. Phelps)(Obituary)
August 4, 2003... Dr. Donald G. Phelps, W.K. Kellogg Regents Professor in Community College Leadership at The University of Texas at Austin's College of Education, died unexpectedly in Austin on July 5, after a brief illness. Phelps was the first black...

Coming events.
August 4, 2003... August 10-17, Philosophy. "Philosophy Facing World Problems," annual conference, Philosophical Society of Turkey, in Istanbul, Turkey. Contact: Philosophical Society of Turkey, Ahmet Rasmin Sokak, 8/2, Cankaya, 06550 Ankara, Turkey;...

Calif. colleges dodge a bullet in final budget. (dateline Washington).
August 18, 2003... SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Community colleges in California breathed a sigh of relief Aug. 2, when Gov. Gray Davis finally signed a long-overdue state budget for 2003-2004. Community colleges had not only been without a spending plan as they...

Federal court lets banned instructor pursue 1st Amendment claims against Neb. college. (dateline Washington).
August 18, 2003... GRAND ISLAND, Neb. -- A former tenured Central Community College faculty member who was banned from campus for two and a half years for misappropriation of funds after his retirement may pursue his First Amendment claims against college...

65 underqualified Texas adjuncts fired.
August 18, 2003... EL PASO, Texas (AP) -- Sixty-five part-time faculty at El Paso Community College have been dismissed after an internal investigation revealed they didn't have the qualifications required to teach. The teachers were fired because the...

Dr. Donald G. Phelps: a tribute. (point of view).
August 18, 2003... Dr. Donald G. Phelps, the W.K. Kellogg Regents Professor in Community College Leadership at the College of Education at The University of Texas at Austin, died unexpectedly in Austin on July 5, after a brief illness. Shortly after Don's death,...

To see such sport. (What Others Are Saying).
August 18, 2003... From The Decatur (Ala.) Daily. The most compelling reason to start a sports program at Calhoun Community College is that somebody who is yet to be identified wants such a program. Thus, the reasons given by Calhoun President Marilyn...

Diverse city: community colleges are the most diverse institutions in academe, and getting more so by the day. (2003 Academic kickoff special report: diversity)(Cover Story).
August 18, 2003... Of all the many numbers that illustrate community colleges' rich diversity, the most telling are these: In 2000, the latest year for which comparable U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Census statistics are available, 12 percent of the U.S....

Ed. Dept. threatens to fine colleges that don't answer surveys. (dateline Washington).
August 18, 2003... The U.S. Department of Education has for the first time sent letters to postsecondary institutions that haven't completed a key survey of institutional data, threatening them with the loss of federal student-aid money and fines of up to...

Hickok named acting deputy at Ed. Department. (Capitol briefs).(Brief Article)
August 18, 2003... Eugene Hickok is temporarily taking over as the second highest-ranking official at the U.S. Department of Education. Hickok, currently undersecretary of education, the third most senior post al the department, will move up a notch as part...

Bill aims to simplify aid process. (Capitol briefs).
August 18, 2003... New bipartisan legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives may make it easier for students and families to understand and participate in federal student-aid programs. The Financial Aid Simplification Act would mandate a study on how...

President Bush praises community colleges. (dateline Washington).
August 18, 2003... President Bush has lately been paying more attention to community colleges than he has in the past. At a July 30 news conference, the president spoke glowingly of two-year institutions, harkening back to his time as governor of Texas....

College programs answer call for improved customer service.
August 18, 2003... EL CAJON, Calif. -- Scenario 1: You re in a store and you ask a customer-service representative about a product. The associate scowls, says she will be with you when she can and brushes past you. Attempts to query two of her coworkers meet the...

Colorado standardizes college curricula.(Brief Article)
August 18, 2003... DENVER (AP) -- Standardized courses and other changes are expected to make it much easier for students to transfer through Colorado's 13 community colleges, officials said. Linda Forkner, curriculum director for the Colorado Community...

Calif. court: adjuncts' research stints ineligible for tenure.
August 18, 2003... KENTFIELD, Calif. -- Part-time faculty at California community colleges can't count their paid instructional research and development projects toward eligibility for tenure, a state appeals panel has ruled. The three-judge panel...

Ala. gov. rallies college workers at controversial state-wide meeting.
August 18, 2003... HANCEVILLE, Ala. (AP) -- Gov. Bob Riley and education leaders rallied more than 3,500 employees of Alabama's two-year colleges to support his $1.2 billion tax plan earlier this month in an unprecedented meeting that some criticized as an...

Nev. faculty group 'puzzled' by governor's pay prediction.
August 18, 2003... CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) -- Representatives of public-employee groups say they're puzzled by Gov. Kenny Guinn's statement that state workers, teachers and higher-education faculty probably won't get any pay raises for six to eight years. ...

Missouri athlete was given answers for college exam ex-girlfriend says.
August 18, 2003... COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP)--Ricky Clemons' ex-girlfriend told prosecutors the former Missouri basketball player was given answers to exams while attending a Kansas community college, according to court records. Officials at Barton County Community...

Hispanic advocacy group accuses N.M. college of discriminatory hiring.
August 18, 2003... ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) -- Hispanics comprise 40 percent of the student body of Albuquerque Technical Vocational Institute, but only 14 percent of full-time faculty at the college, the leader of a Hispanic advocacy group says. Faculty at...

Funding cuts squeeze Mich. students, colleges.
August 18, 2003... DEARBORN, Mich. (AP) -- State cuts in community-college funding will hit Michigan students this fall as schools increase tuition, limit enrollment in popular classes and drop programs. The 6.7 percent funding reduction comes at a critical...

Okla. man pleads guilty to taking English test for Saudi student.(Brief Article)
August 18, 2003... TULSA, Okla. (AP) -- A man already convicted in a grade-tampering scheme has pleaded guilty to taking an English proficiency test for another foreign student. Tarig Al-Taweel, 34, admitted that he look the test in Stillwater on Sept. 10....

Audit of financial practices puts five Utah college officials on leave.(Brief Article)
August 18, 2003... SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- Five Salt Lake Community College employees have been placed on administrative leave pending a state audit into financial practices at the college's Small Business Development Center. One employee was suspended in May...

Neb. college men's basketball team on probation.
August 18, 2003... SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb. (AP) -- The Western Nebraska Community College men's basketball team has been put on probation for scholarship violations, and an investigation shows other teams at the school violated similar rules. College officials...

Vt. college finally gets its own space.
August 18, 2003... WILDER, Vt. (AP) -- After 32 years, leaders of the Community College of Vermont want a home of their own. The college has decided to build a $2.5 million building to house offices and classrooms in the Hartford region, the first building...

Grant Writing in Higher Education: a Step-by-Step Guide. (Titles Recently Received).(Book Review)
August 18, 2003... Grant Writing in Higher Education: A Step-by-Step Guide By Kenneth T. Henson Pearson Allyn & Bacon, 2003 Paperback, 240 pages, $30.50 Kenneth Henson, dean of the school of education at The Citadel in Charleston, S.C., has won...

Casting the Net Over Global Learning: New Developments in Workforce Training and Online Psychologies. (Titles Recently Received).(Book Review)
August 18, 2003... Casting the Net Over Global Learning: New Developments in Workforce Training and Online Psychologies By Dr. Bernard J. Luskin Griffin Publishing Group Paperback, 192 pages, $17.95 The author brings to the table his extensive...

Copyright Law on Campus. (Titles Recently Received).(Book Review)
August 18, 2003... Copyright Law on Campus By Marc Lindsey Washington State University Press, 2003 Paperback, 64 pages, $16 With the advent of the World Wide Web, new questions have risen about copyright infringements. But Marc Lindsey, a...

Calif. 'Crazy Professor' makes a stink over education cuts. (faculty lounge).
August 18, 2003... SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Angered over the sorry state of California education and legislators' failure to come up with a budget, Crafton Hills College philosophy instructor Chris Biffle had a novel idea: March 300 miles from his campus in Yucaipa,...

Miami-Dade College School. (Honors & Awards).
August 18, 2003... Miami-Dade College School of Nursing Professor Bonnie Hammack was selected as the winner of the 8th annual Green Family Foundation American Values Award, a program managed by the United Way of Miami-Dade.

Manatee Community College. (Honors & Awards).
August 18, 2003... Jane Pfeilsticker, an assistant professor of microbiology, biology and chemistry at Manatee Community College in Bradenton, Fla., has won the 2002 Outstanding Educator Award from the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences at the University...

Schenectady County Community College. (Honors & Awards).
August 18, 2003... Schenectady County Community College in Schenectady, N.Y., recently announced the recipients of the SCCC Foundation Awards for Excellence in Teaching. They were: Rocco Verrigni, professor in the hotel, culinary arts and tourism department; and...

Southwestern Illinois College. (Honors & Awards).
August 18, 2003... Chef Ollie Sommer, the hospitality food service management instructor at Southwestern Illinois College in Belleville, Ill., has received the Harmann G. Rusch Lifetime Achievement Award.

American Culinary Foundation. (Honors & Awards).
August 18, 2003... The Cleveland Chapter of the American Culinary Foundation presented Thomas Capretta, a chef instructor in Cleveland-based Cuyahoga Community College's hospitality program, with its 2003 Culinary Educator Award.

State University of New York-Morrisville. (Honors & Awards).
August 18, 2003... Art Thompson, an associate professor of computer and information technologies at State University of New York-Morrisville, N.Y., has been awarded the Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching.

Lakeland Community College. (Honors & Awards).
August 18, 2003... Jim Smolko, a mathematics professor at Lakeland Community College in Kirtland, Ohio, has won the 2003 Distinguished Faculty Award.

Grossmont College. (Honors & Awards).
August 18, 2003... Ewan Wirig, an associate professor of audio/video/multimedia at Grossmont College in El Cajon, Calif., has been selected vice-chair of the 2-Year/Small College Division of the Broadcast Education Association. Community College Week...

Colleges, communities learn to make nice.
August 18, 2003... WASHINGTON, Pa. (AP) -- Plagued by alcohol abuse and financial squabbles, the sometimes-contentious relationship between colleges and the communities that host them are marriages of necessity neither party can escape. But tired of...

What college is really like: college-bound program readies students.
August 18, 2003... MOSES LAKE, Wash. (AP) -- It's all about having a plan. Ignorance is bliss, but that bliss doesn't last long--especially in a student's first year of college, when the harsh realities of exams and new surroundings are constant. ...

Nebraska college takes a bite out of crime. (around campus).
August 18, 2003... COLUMBUS, Neb. (AP) -- When "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" hit network television a few years ago, it became an almost instant success, as evidenced by its nomination for best dramatic television show in this year's Emmy Awards. Crime careers...

Inspirational and educational quotations such as the ones at left line the halls and stairwells of Moraine Valley Community College in Palos Hills, Ill., as part of the school's ongoing Writing on the Wall project.(Brief Article)
August 18, 2003... Inspirational and educational quotations such as the ones at left line the halls and stairwells of Moraine Valley Community College in Palos Hills, Ill., as part of the school's ongoing Writing on the Wall project. According to the school, the...

School administrators get clipboards that click. (technology today).
August 18, 2003... CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) -- It's a high-tech version of the old-fashioned clipboard, and school officials believe it will help revolutionize the way school administrators do their jobs--at least at the College Community School District. At...

Grant helps Iowa college to launch distance-learning program. (Bits & Bytes).(Brief Article)
August 18, 2003... FORT DODGE, Iowa (AP) -- Iowa Central Community College has been awarded a $298,000 grant to launch a distance-learning program for high-school students. The federal Directed Education Program grant will help the school purchase software...

Baltimore teacher wins accolades for creative online course. (Bits & Bytes).
August 18, 2003... SAN DIEGO -- Chikao Tsubaki, assistant professor of English at Baltimore City Community College, has won the Maryland Distance Learning Association's Distance Course of the Year award for 2003 for his online English course. The course combines...

Tulsa students interact with astronauts. (Bits & Bytes).(Brief Article)
August 18, 2003... TULSA, Okla. -- Crew members from the International Space Station last month transmitted a live question-and-answer broadcast to the Tulsa Aviation Alliance Science and Engineering Careers Academy, which is part of the Tulsa Community College....

The taming of the PC. (A Tech Perspective).
August 18, 2003... Like many machines, personal computers have the ability to both empower and alienate. Only they do it better. On the one hand, PCs enable you to singlehandedly accomplish tasks that used to require many people--boosting your productivity...

Polk Community College. (Appointments).(Brief Article)
August 18, 2003... Polk Community College in Winter Haven, Fla., has named Dr. Debra Daniels vice president of academic and student services. Daniels joins Polk after serving the last two years as vice president for instruction at Kellogg Community College in...

Glen Oaks Community College. (Appointments).(Brief Article)
August 18, 2003... Dr. Ron Pribble was recently appointed dean of the college at Glen Oaks Community College in Centreville, Mich. Pribble, who took the post July 7, replaced Dr. Richard Wedemeyer, who recently retired. Pribble most recently served as dean of...

North Seattle Community College. (Appointments).(Brief Article)
August 18, 2003... Karen Demetre has been appointed vice president for instruction at Washington state's North Seattle Community College. Demetre brings nearly 30 years of community-college experience to the vice presidency, which she held on a temporary basis...